The Lion's Pit
by Sleepy-Sleepy
Summary: She didn't want it to come to this, she gambled and now here he was staring at her with wide fear-stricken eyes. "It can't be... Not you..." And that was enough, she had to kill him. He recognized her and she had to act, before everything she's done up to this point burst up in flames. She had to, she had no choice, Annie Leonhardt must kill him, her former comrade; Armin Arlert.


**A/N:** **Murder me. Right now. Do it. I'm actually writing it. I'm typing it amidst all these other stories piling up and waiting to be finished. Kill me. Please. Because hell if I do and hell if I don't. Am I damned to forever go in an eternal loop?**

 **Why can't I just focus on a single story like a good, sensible Author? Why do I have such a short attention span? Why, just why?**

 **Also, real quick, I'm stupid and lazy so this won't accurately follow the events in the anime/manga. I've been trying to read the manga, but dammit, it's proving quite a challenge and I don't even know why. I've managed to get bits and pieces, but none of the parts that really, _really_ matter. Basically the crucial Titan bits, so guess what! I have to play pretend, yay! \\(*w*)/ **

**Sadly, for me (and maybe you if you hate this kind of stuff), 'cause I hate doing it, I have to follow however far the anime went before I can really have fun with this. I am hoping, ( _hoping so damn hard that this will turn out good because I love this pairing to death)_ , that some of you will find this good or more importantly enjoyable, because let's be honest, I am not the greatest writer, nor am I exceptionally good 'cause well I don't know, something's just wrong with the way I write. Just how it is and I gotta deal with it... Poorly... Anyway, this will involve lots of bloody scenes or violent descriptions I believe, maybe enough to warrant an M-Rating, but I won't post it as such since, I think for it to be considered M, you gotta have language. Very explicit language.**

 **And while I don't have a problem reading it (it's pretty damn funny), I do have a problem writing it. And yes, the term for female dogs in heat as well as damning and other minor derogative terms could be considered curse words, the ones I just simply can't tolerate to say or type/write is the poopy one and the sexual one. Oh and racial terms as well, yeah I can't do that. So yeah, hooray for my unrealistic tendencies that I'm going to force onto the story, whoo...**

 **Okay! Sorry for that long A/N, but I felt it was necessary to warn/inform you (whoever cares). Kind of forgot why... but whatever!**

 **Disclaimer: No, I do not own Attack on Titan/Shingeki no Kyojin, but I am curious as to why they are in separate categories when they are the same thing. Anyone got an answer for that, 'cause I am genuinely confused.**

 **Chapter I: Into the Pit**

Harsh, rough huffs of air escaped Armin's horse as it galloped through the vast plains. He could feel the massive chunks of its muscles rippling about beneath and around his legs as it carried him with just the right amount of speed and agility to avoid colossal hands and writhing bodies of various proportions. He had broken off along with many other Scout members to create their formation needed for this expedition and it was now of all times that Armin felt his nerves begin to slip from his grasp. The company of beasts did little to calm him as he surveyed the land with wide and wary eyes, continuing his gallop as they passed on by. Nervous sweat began to seep from pores in his skin and his hands were becoming jittery and clammy with sweat.

The pounding hooves tearing up the earth suddenly caught his interest as the horse neighed from a rough, involuntary pull. "Sorry." he whispered, petting down its mane only to jump at the startling flaps of birds riding the winds. The horse shook and cried again in protest to his skittish reaction. He stared at them, the birds and their feathers stirring up gusts. The sight of them, however, only seemed to build up his nervous anxiety.

Armin Arlert was in bad territory, the stretching lands void of all but wildlife was nothing but a ruse as far as the eyes could see. A false sense of minimum security blanketed the area; something that he knew was anything but. He also knew that this wouldn't be like before, not within the walls and civilization. Out here, there were no buildings for his anchors to secure himself, no rooftops as tall as the roaming behemoths he knew they would encounter to escape to. For miles and miles, it was just plain, flat lands and short stalks of trees with the occasional house or cottage passing by him. Only two horses bred for out-maneuvering Titans and his 3DM Gear were at his disposal. Flare guns were also strapped alongside his rounds, nothing more and nothing less.

Only the absolute necessities were all he had to fight.

The question was, would he make it? Expeditions such as this one never failed to have countless losses of human lives. It didn't matter what they said, what they claim as noble sacrifices, and despite their passion in this fight it always went down to this; was it worth it? Would they have taken one more step towards Humanity's freedom? Would these deaths justify the means? Armin's eyes glanced back at the receding building far behind him.

In order to get, one must also be willing to give, but just how far did that saying reach? How much was enough? What could possibly amount to the worth of a precious human life?

A low frown marred the boy's face as inner conflicts manifested.

 _Turn around, go back! Into the safety of the walls where there are people and buildings! A shelter, a shield! You'll die. Crushed or eaten, your blood spilling across the ground with your organs meshed together like a slaughtered animal. What did you do to deserve it, what could you have done to prevent this? Someone will die in front of you, someone will die behind you. And then it will be your turn. You'll die, just like everyone else who fights the Titans._

The voice in his head continued to talk as his horses continued to run further and further away from civilization and inches closer to their destination. Yet, Armin continued to look ahead, ignoring the chanting words.

 _You're weak. You can't fight. The strength you carry can't help you._ It continued, it sounded small and innocent almost like a child. _You know I'm right. There's no one who knows you better than yourself. We'll die. We won't see our friends again, and they won't know how we died._ It was not the truth. Armin knew they weren't, but he couldn't really say it was a lie. No, it was a possibility. It could happen, he could get killed with nothing but a misplaced hoof or a wrong decision.

There have been reports and incidents of earthquakes, storms also raided the lands and massive gusts could pivot into tornadoes. Large beasts were also known to walk the uncharted lands. There were so many possibilities that could make this whole mission go wrong and by the end of the day, he'll be rotting on the ground with nothing but flies and insects benefitting from it.

There were so many options in life that all lead to the same end. Somewhere, sometime, someone will die. Death will always come, be it sooner or later. It was now about whether which path would lead to a less fortunate end. What path would he benefit from? Was becoming a Scout really worth his life? Could he sacrifice his very existence for a chance to see the outside world?

 _We won't see the ocean._

A thickness of muscle constricted his dry throat as he slowly breathed in.

'Hush.' he soothed himself. 'Calm down. You're okay, Armin.' He gripped onto the reins tighter, his eyes closing as he shooed away the unsettling thoughts running rampant in his head. 'We're okay.' And just like that, the doubtful voice had quieted. His tense posture slowly relaxed on the saddle.

An echoing blast abruptly made his head snap in its direction.

Red smoke hissed up into the sky, curling and mingling with the white clouds not unlike blood.

Armin swallowed slowly to dispel the rest of his tightening muscles in his throat as he breathed in and out calmly.

Now it's truly begun.

Swift, nimble and relaxed fingers pulled out the gun from its holster and with the same dexterity loaded a round. Balancing his weight on his horse, his eyes stayed with the writhing smoke as he fired another to follow.

The voice inside his head chattered again, frightened and desperate.

 _You'll die._ it whispered. _Someone will die._

There was no other movement aside from the horses as Armin only continued to stare ahead, his eyebrows furrowed and his blue eyes focused on the task at hand. The rush of the wind cooled his head, his eyes falling in contemplative sorrow as he listened to the whimper inside his head.

 _Why do they have to die?_

Suddenly, he felt the steed tense under him. Shooting the other a length behind a calculating look, Armin recognized the beasts unease as fear. Whipping his head back ahead, his eyes frantically raked over the deserted terrain. 'Where?' he thought as the horses began to nicker and huff more fearfully. He reached out a hand to rub soothingly at the horse's large neck, ushering comforting words as he encouraged it to go on.

His eyes locked back onto the sky, searching. There hasn't been another signal for some time and Armin could feel his own unease creep up on him.

'Calm down.' he scolded himself. 'Focus!'

There was a moment when all that could be heard were the horses' ragged breathing as he kept their pace. A long moment where his head began filling him with dreadful thoughts and nervous anxiousness that fueled his own uneeded fear.

 _They're coming._

As if he could predict a storm, a new signal soared through the sky; one that had his heart racing and blood pumping.

A black smoke billowed through the clouds.

"An abnormal!" he gasped as one hand gripped the reins and the other clutched the gun.

His eyes remained focus as he watched the distant forest warily. "D-did it ignore the others?" he wondered out loud. His mouth hung open and his eyes widened as he witnessed two other horsemen burst from the trees and not long after did a Titan emerge with them.

Armin quickly shut his mouth and loaded another round, firing shortly after to warn anyone else nearby. His eyes, however, never left the duo flanking the abnormal Titan.

 _It will happen._

It was moving fast, its arms held straight at its sides as it moved with purpose, but he could tell there was no intelligence. It may have ignored them, but it gave no indication of recognizing them as there. It was headed this way, towards him. Slowly, Armin lifted more of his weight from his horse and his hand lightly pulled and yanked at the leather straps, readying himself to accelerate his speed. 'There are no buildings here. No structures for the scouts to use, nothing but wits and will.' He could very easily calculate the chances of him dying if it should confront him, so he watched its movements. His eyes guessing where it would most likely strike first or where it would head off to.

He had to prepare for the worst.

The Squad Leader jumped off his horse, the wires locking onto tough flesh as he whirled around to slice at its ankles. The voice continued rambling even though his ears were already aching from the sounds of gunfire, shouts and the earth rumbling from dying giants. He watched for he knew he would have to follow in their fight if they fail.

And the probability of that happening was very high.

Something thick and sickening sounded in front of him and he almost stopped his horse. A moment of fear sank his heart before a wave of warm relief flooded over him. A sigh of breath left him before he realized he was even holding it as the two men fell back on their mounts seemingly unharmed.

"Way to go!" he breathed, overjoyed that they managed to stop the beasts rampage.

They were fine, they stopped it. The formation and the mission would continue as planned.

At least, he thought it would.

Something in the distance caught his observant eyes, the smile that had lifted his face falling as he looked further ahead. A figure, tall and lean was closing in on them.

And it was then, that something in Armin snapped, something small, but very, very frail. Whatever that figure was, it was moving way too fast. His hands gripped the reins and his body lay tense and poised above his horse as he looked on helplessly.

Another Titan, and it was closing in on them.

"Something's not right about this one." he murmured. His thoughts had gone silent, his muscles rigid and his sweat running cold along with his blood did nothing but raise the small fine hairs lining the back of his neck.

Faster and faster, its legs sprinted straight in his direction. His eyes slowly widened in disbelief at the amount of speed this Titan exerted as it now fell into a pace right in between Ness and Siss. He could hear them shouting out in both fear and surprise at the sheer strength its footfalls created shaking the ground.

"Don't let it go for Arlert! Siss!"

Armin fired another signal, his hand falling as all he could do was gape at this entirely new being.

Unlike all the others, this one held the unmistakable physique of a woman. A female, this one was a female and her skin, it barely had any. His mind went blank as all he could do was stare and slowly process what was happening.

Still, everything else moved. His hand still held onto the horse's reins and he still urged it to go faster, but he couldn't feel it. He couldn't quite catch up with the events as he mindlessly fell into auto-pilot.

Their was a screech as gas whirred throughout the air and propelled bodies in the air creating cold gusts. Armin couldn't feel it, but e knew that he should with how much force the two were using.

"It's... It's so fast..."

The other before it couldn't even compare, not even a fraction. No abnormal could come close to reaching this one's speed, certainly not even horses.

Suddenly, from the corner of his eye he could see a body ascending in he air, arms raised with swords ready to pierce into the sinewy flesh of the Titan's neck.

Usually one would think a Titan too slow, mentally, to capture a soldier mid-flight and heading straight for the nape; this would be cause for praise at how they could incapacitate an abnormal. However, such was not the case as all too suddenly, she had caught Siss by the torso, his head slamming into her solid palm and at that velocity; Siss was dead upon impact.

Armin could barely catch the desperate shout Ness had bellowed as he latched onto her other shoulder, his weapons poised like before.

He almost halted his horse, his arms twitching to switch directions and possibly save him, but before he could dwell on it any further, the female had grabbed onto the whirring wires and slammed the man down to the unforgiving ground, snapping his back.

Another instant death.

A moment seemed to pause as she stood her ground, coming to a halt. Bright and dirty blonde hair hiding her eyes as she seemed to look at something.

"She killed them..." he all but whispered as the light basked around her magnificent form. His eyes couldn't look away, not after what she did. She killed them when they were two perfectly healthy and capable men. Slowly more fragile threads snapped from his thoughts as all Armin could think of was one thing and one single thing only.

"Th-there's..."

He gasped and flinched as she moved, her head turning along with her body to face him.

A terrified yell escaped him as he all but yanked the reins of his horse, the leather skins snapping painfully at its neck as he all but demanded that it gallop faster. He leaned his body forward hastily, his legs propping his upper body up as he tried to gain more speed to escape.

'It's not an abnormal! This is a person!'

Both horses shrieked as they all but sprinted faster and faster as those terrible footfalls became closer and closer.

'She's just like Eren! Like the colossal and armored Titans! There is a human being inside that Titan!'

The earth groaned beneath them and Armin screamed as his horse nearly tripped over the unsteady ground. He pulled him in and snapped the reins once more, forcing the beast to continue on track.

It was useless though. She was getting closer. She was only a few lengths behind him, she could snatch him up very easily.

'She's going to kill me! I-" he gulped suddenly his throat tightening and his tear ducts stinging. 'I'm going to die!'

Various scenarios played in his head as he risked turning his head over.

Her hand grabbing him and slamming him against the earth or crushing him in her hands. Those bleeding pile of corpses spilling guts and organs could be him, or he'll probably be a mesh of flesh and blood no longer recognizable as a human being.

Her foot stomping over him, horse and all.

His wires getting caught, her hands slapping him off and hurdling down the path. His neck could snap, his spinal cord could get damaged. Something could get pierced. Something could get broken. His vitals, his nerves or even brain damage from just the right amount of force.

Whatever it was, he'll still be dead at the end of it.

"Get out of here! Run away!" he shouted at the other horse, tossing away it's reins. A strangled cry of fear left the horse as the Titan's foot stomped dangerously close behind it, making it jump from its feet and stumbling.

Armin felt the air shift and his head rolled backward on instinct. He was met by her leaping up in mid air. Her foot looming over him and he all but had the breath knocked out of his lungs.

So he would be stomped on, huh.

'Why? Why are they doing this?'

He supposed it wouldn't be too strange. Plenty of people have stomped on him before when he spoke his mind. Plenty of other older and stronger boys have knocked him down and kicked him mercilessly.

It wouldn't be so strange now, would it?

"What are you after?" he murmured before she landed her foot directly in front of his horse.

The beast shoved its entire weight onto its back legs and heaved itself upward, thrusting Armin up and off its back.

Armin's voice was lost as he hit the ground. Nothing but pained grunts and wheezing breaths left him as he rolled over onto his knees with his hood falling over his head. His horse shrieked again as it heavy weight fell over, its body landing hard and he all but froze at the sound of something snapping with a very loud and curdling _crack_.

No pounding hooves or cries followed after that.

Quiet, whimpering breaths left his heaving chest as he stared at the dust and gravel below him. A loud _thud_ shook the ground and made him jump, but he dared not look up.

'This is it...' Slow tears pooled over his eyes as he awaited his fate. 'I'm going to die...'

A hand followed after, supporting her weight as she lowered herself to him. He could see shadows move from his peripheral vision. Another arm maybe? Or her body leaning in? He couldn't tell.

More shuddering breaths left him as time seemed to stand still.

'If only I had a horse, I could... I could still fight!'

But he knew better than that. She would kill him just as mercilessly as she had many others before him, he was sure.

'I... I...' The Titan's arm reached closer and closer, but it was slow and calculating. 'I... I'm going to...' More tears fell from his eyes as he all but felt its very presence loom ever closer to him.

A soft and gentle pressure suddenly settled over his head. His breath stopped and his eyes grew even wider. They weren't touching his skull.

A light tug and his hood was pulled from his head. He could hear the blood rushing from his all over his body pound relentlessly in his ears as adrenaline pumped harder and harder throughout his system and yet, he couldn't do a thing to get away. Nothing more than lifting his head cautiously and fearfully for what could await his terrified eyes.

Soft, but audible shallow breaths escaped the female's open mouth, fanning over his small frame. Her head was tilted and her hair fell over one side, almost hiding half her face.

His breath suddenly hitched and a gasp was caught in his throat. Her eyes, they were staring down at him, unmoving, observing, taking him in.

But... nothing more.

Minutes ticked on by and all Armin could do was stare death at the face.

'B-blue... her eyes are an odd shade of blue...'

Something dreadful sank in his gut as he thought about it. Her eyes were a light shade of blue, almost looking like the healthy bright sky, but it unsettled the boy greatly as he stared back at her.

Something was horribly wrong with this Titan.

She let go slowly, carefully retracting her fingers and pulling her arm away from him. Armin tensed, and she stilled for a moment as if almost startled by his movement. A huff left her, her eyes narrowed darkly as if she was warning him, threatening him, sending a terrible shiver to chill his spine.

That stare, that last look, it would've passed for hatred, but before Armin could even dwell further on it, she continued to pull away. Her hand lifted her up and her arm was now safely away from his person. She leaned back on her thighs and slowly hefted herself back up onto her feet. Her face was turned away from him and then just as fast as she had caught him, she had left him, jogging on off in her path.

Armin was left dumbfounded with pathetic tears helplessly falling from his fear-stricken eyes.

"It..." his voice was painfully hoarse as he spoke, his hand lightly brushing his cheek. "It wanted to... look at my face...?"

He couldn't understand. It didn't kill him.

"Arlert!"

It spared him.

"Oi! Armin!"

She didn't kill him.

'B-but... why?'

" _Armin!_ "

He jumped at attention, his hand falling and his head following the blur of brown and yellow.

"R-Reiner..."

"Are you alright? What are doing without a horse, you'll sooner be dead before we even make it to the checkpoint! Here and hurry up!" He shoved the extra reins out to him, startling the boy out of his lingering stupor.

"Y-yes!" he answered quickly, forcing himself back onto his shaky feet.

Armin cradled his throbbing head with one hand as he reached over and mounted the horse. Reiner watched him as he did so, but kept a nervous eye on the rapidly retreating figure going further away from them. For a moment, it seemed like he felt torn with indecisiveness as his keen eyes searched over the lands for any nearby soldiers. His eyes fell back on Armin as he seated himself on the saddle, his horse whinnying softly as he secured the reins.

He could finish what she had failed to do, but he knew he couldn't do it. It was too hard. Armin didn't deserve it, he wasn't apart of this. None of them were, except for of course... He sighed and waited for him to hurry up. Regardless, he had to play everything safe, no rushing.

"So, I saw a signal coming from this direction. Is that one with the nice ass the abnormal stirring up trouble?"

Armin stared in the Titan's direction silently, his eyes seemingly searching for something. Reiner didn't know what, but the look Armin had made him uneasy and oddly nervous.

"No, that one isn't an abnormal. It's a human inside a Titan body."

His eyes widened and his lips pursed as he stared at the boy. "What?" he all but hissed, but the boy didn't catch the undertone of anger seeping from his voice.

"Uh, h-hold on, I almost forgot... Just a moment, I need to fire a flare." Armin reached over for a yellow striped round and fumbled with the barrel. "Come on, you stupid thing..." he berated the inanimate object. "Work, dammit!"

A faint blast shot from behind them.

"Calm down. Jean's got your back."

The hot-tempered boy steadily reached up to them as more flares shot up into the sky.

"That's from the right flank. Were they hit so badly they can't complete the mission?"

"Apparently they say the right flank got ambushed by several Titans. A whole horde of them just burst out at them all at once and now they're almost completely decimated. Right now, it doesn't look like they'll be able to resume scouting capabilities."

"Wait a minute," Armin looked back at the sprinting figure, his face thoughtful. "That's where she came from. Could it be that _she_ was the one to lead them?"

Jean followed their gaze and blinked at the odd sight.

"That one? Is that an abnormal?" It looked strange, he's only seen Titans resembling fully intact humans, but never one looking so... fleshly.

"No, she's not an abnormal. She's a human in a Titan body, like Eren!"

"What? What are you talking about, Armin? Are you telling me there are others like him?"

Reiner felt his lip twitch uneasily at his words. The kid was learning far too much for his liking.

"Tell me, Armin, what makes you think that thing's got a human inside it?"

"Titan's are know for having one thing in common and that's eating humans." he started, his eyes slightly wild as he thought back to the Shiganshina incident as well as previous hands-on experiences. "It's an instinctual trait not unlike wild animals, they just act on it, but" he paused to venture back to much more recent events and the terror that came with it.

"That one isn't like the rest. She knows her nape is a weak spot and when it was targeted, she killed them. I saw her grab them and kill them with her bare hands. She didn't do it to eat them, she consciously killed them, murdered them. Normal Titans don't do that. It's just like the Armored and Colossal Titans, they're consistently fighting against human kind."

The two males stared at him thoughtfully, taking in his words and processing them. But it was really only Jean that was taking in and thinking, Reiner could only narrow his eyes at the boy as more and more thoughts and possible decisions clashed within him.

An annoyed scoff almost slipped.

"But that's not all."

They snapped their heads back at him, waiting.

Armin had his head low for a moment, thinking. "I think she may be looking for someone."

'Great.' The kid was catching on real fast, he would easily mean trouble. Reiner looked back at the female, his eyebrows twisted in a grimace as all he could do was huff out tiredly and feign it being the heavy information Armin was feeding them. It wasn't entirely false though. 'Your head's just a bit too much for your own good, kid...' he wondered wistfully.

"And if I'm right about that..." He gasped suddenly, voice thick with worry. "C-could it be that it may be looking for Eren?"

"Eren you say? He's with Levi's Squad over in the right flank where that one came from."

"What?"

"Whoa, wait up. Hold on a second, my chart had them stationed on the rear left! How could they be on the right?"

"Wait, wait, wait. None of that can be right, that would make no sense in the operation."

"So what do you suppose they could be stationed then?"

"Where else? They should only be in the center rear, the safest area of this formation."

Jean scoffed, bringing in their attention. "Hey, we have no time to think about this right now! At this rate it'll be impossible to relay the message that this Titan's not something we should mess with! If that thing's going after Eren, who knows how may lives will be lost!"

"Jean, what are you saying?"

"I'm saying, if we let this thing go things could seriously go haywire and we'll be unable to retreat! The formation could fall apart and we'll all be dead if we don't do something about this right now! If we buy enough time, we could have the whole lot retreat before things get nasty."

"J-Jean, we'll be dealing with an intelligent Titan here. From where we stand, we're nothing more than insects waiting to get swat at. Y-You understand this right?"

He only gulped as he set his eyes back on the Female. "Yeah, that's... that's a pretty scary thought, but hell, what else is new?"

Reiner cleared his throat. "Not that it matters, but mind telling me where the real Jean is? You know, the one who cared for his own ass?"

"Yeah, I wonder where he went too... but," Images of bones and a lost one's face flashed through his eyes as he snapped at his reins. "We chose this job didn't we? 'Sides, I made a promise. So will you lend me a hand in this or not!" he shouted, his nerves rattling his brain as all he could gather was how much a mistake this all was. How every one of them could be lying on the ground with heads spilt open and bodies twisted in unnatural ways and wonder how everything had come to be as it is?

In the end, it wouldn't even matter. What did matter was how they dealt with it and make it better, just a single step forward and another obstacle to overcome. When it comes down to it, size didn't matter; you either live another day with the choices you make or die with them.

"Put your hoods over your heads."

"Huh...?"

"Put your hoods on, she won't kill you if she doesn't know who you are."

"Oh I see, figure she won't slaughter ya if she thinks it could be Eren under here, eh? Not bad, kid. A small consolation though, hopefully it has bad eyesight or we'll be screwed senseless."

"You know I always kinda thought it was weird how you hung around that idiot so closely, I'll admit it creeped me out a little, but now I see you're a pretty capable guy, Arlert!"

"Ah, well thanks I guess... Not really sure how I should take that, but okay..."

Kidding aside, there was still something else bothering the blond. Whomever was controlling this one was human, and this person was after Eren, someone that is like them. The question now was, who and why? 'Think Armin, who do you think it could be? Why would they be doing this? What's their motive?' He racked his head vehemently as he could almost taste the name one second away from rolling off his tongue.

'Who are you? And why are you after Eren?'

He rode up further, his leaning a little to try and look at her face.

'She's become slower... Tired? If she were running at the speed before, we wouldn't be able to even touch her. Regardless though, we probably won't be able to kill her even if she wasn't at full strength. Mikasa and Levi, however, it may just be possible. Maybe.'

 _You'll die._

If only they were here, because Armin was sure that this one would play a big part in this whole mission. She could be their downfall, she would have murdered so many people for one single life if his speculations were correct. But why?

A wire shot out, jarring Armin out of his momentary thoughts. It was Jean starting off in distracting her. Blue eyes frantically turned back to the Titan, watching her.

She paused with a foot propelling her backwards as she twirled around, her arms poised out in front of her defensively and the other thrust out to create a billowing whirlwind. Jean's hood fell back as the force knocked him off his course.

It wasn't her target, but still, something made Armin falter and go slack with the horse's reins. It threw its head backwards in alarm, spit foaming over its mouth as it struggled to maintain its pace. It's galloping legs stumbled with its rider as it tried its best to focus ahead rather than impending danger sitting far from its side.

"There's something wrong about her." he whispered. "It's almost as if I-" a gasp broke his train of thought as just as suddenly as she had lashed out on Jean, she turned back to him, her blue eyes blazing with an indescribable anger that stirred Armin back to reality. He gripped the reins and snapped them, urging his horse forward but it was too late.

Her hand shot out and slapped the beast from underneath him, crushing its ribs and tearing its innards as she plummeted it up and over the air. Armin also flew upwards, more than five feet into nothing but weightless air. His body landed hard and skid painfully through all the dirt and gravel and all he could gather was that her eyes were a very familiar subject. He felt his gear crumble and snap upon impact, bruising his waist and the canister and sword sheath fracture his bones in several places. Pointed stones tore at his head and soon red clouded his vision.

'Who are you?' he wondered again as he finally stopped.

'I know you.'

She had bent down towards him, a large intimidating hand reaching for him. It all felt oddly familiar, as if he had been in this situation once before.

"It can't be..." A pained, shuddering breath left him as he spoke. "No, it couldn't possibly be..."

"Armin!" Jean shouted from a distance, his finger pulling the trigger and the sturdy wires struck onto solid tissue.

She flinched and turned, her arm pointed out with a ready fist. He twirled all around rapidly, until he came back to her unguarded backside. Before he could even ready himself to attack, a hand immediately came up, cupping over her nape. Her head tilted over, watching him, waiting for his move.

"What!"

Armin could see her now. His eyes opening up wide with his mouth gaping and his blood pouring over shocked cerulean hues, his pupils shrinking, astonished. "It can't be you... No, not you!" His suddenly shrill voice brought back her attention, her cold and narrowed eyes widening along with his as she recognized his tone.

"Y-you went to the Military Police, you were just inside the walls..." he continued to gasp. His lungs fluctuated dangerously, his heart beating erratically as everything slowly began to sink in.

"Armin!"

"Arlert!"

"I saw you there... I saw you..."

Armin couldn't believe his eyes, he didn't want to believe his eyes. They ran over her body, slowly putting two and two together and then gathering more and more pieces. Everything was slowly unraveling before him, it was too much for him to even comprehend.

"This must be a mistake, you can't be..."

"Stop! Armin, fight back! _Armin!_ "

"You can't be An- _gack!_ " His breath was suddenly taken from him. His body became tight, his mobility was lost to him now.

Her hand clenched over his huddled form, squeezing him painfully he feared his ribs would give on him. Hell, they probably already have.

He suddenly couldn't breathe, his throat becoming too tight and his lungs were fluttering desperately for precious oxygen. "Sto- _hack_! Stop... Ann..." he wheezed out his voice desperately, begging her, pleading but it was barely even a whisper. They wouldn't hear him, but he wasn't speaking to them, not really. His voice was lost, he couldn't even hear himself, couldn't recognize his own voice or tell how low it really was as he focused solely on breathing. To live, to understand, to find out the truth.

 _"Stop! Put him down! Armin!"_ He heard Reiner's strangely urgent voice, but when he tried looking over his direction he was shocked to see that the stout man could look like the way he did. It didn't look like he was looking at him, it was almost like he was begging the Titan. Almost as if he was speaking directly at her.

As if she would understand.

He looked torn, pained. Was it because he was about to die? Did he fear for him, was that it? It felt like it, but he wasn't sure, he still sounded strange. A painful squeeze brought him back to the hand crushing his body.

She wouldn't. He couldn't believe she would, he was still struggling with this even being her.

'N-no... she... Sh-she's... our...'

"Armin, no!"

Blood splashed over his bulging eyes as Armin tried to put up a struggle, but he had already known that it was futile. He wouldn't be able to free himself, least of all from _her_. He tried to move, but it was all so painful. They should know he can't do stuff like this. He isn't strong enough, he was still too small, too frail.

 _Why?_

He of course had to wonder, even as his brain lacked the sufficient oxygen and his bones were being crushed under the intense pressure. Why her of all people? He couldn't stand to keep his eyes open, fearing they would pop right out of their sockets. Was she not a good person? His back became too stiff to continue his useless struggle. Did he, no did the others really mean nothing to her? Was everyone nothing but bugs to her, even back then?

He gasped as a sharp wave of pain engulfed him, his spine would snap with just a little more force. His shoulders would dislocate and his ribs were mere seconds away from puncturing his lungs.

'But she... she was our friend...'

"Ann...ie..." he begged quietly. He wanted to look at her, but his strength was lost to him. He couldn't open his eyes.

His body sagged rigid in her grip as she quickly brought him into her mouth, his head and torso slipping in while his waist and the rest of his lower body was held back with her fingers.

 _"Armin!"_

 ** _"Armin, no!"_**

Her eyes were hidden as her lips curled and her teeth were bare as she sank them harshly into his thin flesh.

A sickening _hack_ undoubtedly escaped from the boy's mouth as his blood showered down from her jaws. His body jerked violently in anguish as her sharp canines crunched into his flesh. The next second, his body soon lay limp against her teeth.

"Ar-Armin..." Jean all but fell gracelessly onto the tattered ground, specks of raining blood splattering alongside him and staining both his clothes and bare face. Even Reiner halted his horse and watched helplessly as she bit into his spine and abdomen.

Crimson liquid ran down her chin as she tilted her head back and quickly sucked him in.

"Armin! Dammit!"

"Jean, don't!"

The anchors shot out once more, this time at her shoulders, the gas propelling him upwards towards her face where he would try and retrieve his battered friend.

"Let him go you son of a bitch!"

Her eyes met his, but he didn't care. Nothing but rage and hatred overwhelmed his senses, any thoughts of fear and death had be thrown and cast aside in a fitful fury. He swiped his swords over her cheeks, but missed the stitching gaps. Hot blood spewed as she stood back up, bringing both males with her, one in her mouth and the other hanging on by a thread.

She kept her head held back, her eyes watching the two as she quickly swallowed.

Jean could only watch in horror as he watched the lump in her throat go downwards into her stomach. Tears stung in his eyes, his throat tightening and his body felt unbearably heavy.

"No..." he could only whisper as a hand twitched to reach out for the lost blond boy.

Another fallen comrade.

"Jean!"

He fell back with a harsh bang against the ground, landing just a few yards away from Reiner.

"She killed Armin... Reiner, he's... He's... I couldn't- I..." Jean wasn't able to finish his sentence as Reiner swiveled up, his eyes locking with her and his weapons drawn.

"Why? Why him, huh?" he murmured, but he was so sure she could hear him perfectly. But her glimmering eyes did nothing to betray the girl hidden within the Titan Female. Really though, it didn't matter. Not to them and certainly not to her. It shouldn't matter at the end of the day.

She clamped her hand over him and he tensed under her grasp.

 _'It didn't have to be this way, you could've held back. You could've spared him.'_

Her thumb pressed over his head.

 _'Our friend wouldn't be dead.'_

Jean's heart almost stopped as he just witnessed both his teammates and friends get murdered right in front of him. "Reiner... Armin... Y-you bastards weren't supposed to..." he choked on his words as he gripped onto a nearby tree. "Y-you..."

 _'Regardless, the mission will continue its course.'_

Jean almost jumped out of his skin when a loud tearing of flesh and a hiss of steam screamed up at the air. Reiner emerged with his blade slicing off flesh and bone, leaving the female to stare at her now serrated, bleeding palm.

"R-Rei..."

"Let's go Jean! Change of plan!" he shouted, his eyes hard and his voice leaving no room for argument. "Armin's dead, there's nothing we can do! Get on your horse!"

Jean mindlessly obeyed as the burly male rammed against his side, shoving him to a horse. His nerves suddenly began to go numb to all around him. There was nothing they could do. With those injuries and her in general, they wouldn't accomplish a damn thing.

They had to leave behind yet another friend.

 **-X-X-X-**

 **A/N:** **Good Grief! Finally! Chapter one is finally done! Oh dear, you guys have no idea how excited I am to write this! I just _love_ AruAni! Love it to death and what I hope to portray in this story is the way I see them, and I am going to cry. Can I just say, that they are the most dynamic and depressing couple to ever catch my attention? I have no idea what it is that makes me love these two so much, but I _will_ get this out of my system!**

 **I have so many ideas and short stories plaguing my head right now, it's far from hilarious and more like a horrible obsession gone wrong. I'm hoping this story will bring some sort of peace to my rampant head because as we all know, SNK/AOT is not the happiest thing on earth. I hate it and love it, but I find myself sometimes wishing I never clicked the play button. And with it also be a _game_! Well, of course I'm going to be hooked!**

 **Ugh, regardless of what I think about it, I feel like I'm going to get much hate in this fic or a lot of unhappy thoughts, I don't even know why. Just a hunch. I promise I won't bug you with anymore long Author Notes, maybe. But I'm just so happy to begin getting this off my back. Took two full days!**

 **I do hope some of you enjoyed this though and I can't wait to have another chapter up and ready soon! And once more, me personally, I don't think this could be M-Rated, but what do you think? I'm not too sure, so I'll leave it in T for now, unless someone really thinks it should be M.**

 **Till the next update!**


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